Former Morrisville State coach pleads guilty to felony charge of sexting with underage victim

A former Morrisville State College assistant football coach and Earlville volunteer firefighter pleaded guilty Friday to felony charges of sexting with a girl younger than 15.

Richard C. Zdanowicz, 25, of 8 W. Main St., Earlville, was charged in January with first-degree disseminating indecent material to a minor and second-degree criminal sex act, both felonies. He was also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, a misdemeanor.

On Friday, he pleaded to a lower felony charge, attempted dissemination of indecent material to a minor. He will be sentenced in July to one year in Madison County Jail or six months in jail and 10 years probation. He will also be required to register with the state as a convicted sex offender.

Court papers accuse Zdanowicz of sending indecent text messages and having sexual contact with the girl at the fire barn in Earlville, where he was a volunteer.

“I saw Richie over the summer and starting talking with him more on Facebook,” the girl wrote in her deposition. “We started talking more and texting each other over the cell phone.”

The girl’s mother found the text messages on her cell phone in January and contacted the police.

“Richie is very friendly, outgoing and charming and everybody likes him,” the mother stated in her court deposition. “I have noticed my daughter has been talking about him more for a couple months and I could tell she started liking Richie.”

The girl’s mother told police that her daughter told a family friend that “age shouldn’t matter.”

“My daughter’s cell phone is full of text messages from Richie and there are more text messages waiting to come in,” the girl’s mother continued. “After seeing these text messages, I confronted my daughter and asked her if something was going on with her and (Zdanowicz) and she denied it.”

In the depositions, the girl said she “did not want (Zdanowicz) to get in trouble for anything we have done.”

“I have been texting him and wanting to do things as much as he has,” she wrote.

Zdanowicz was hired in August 2008 as a temporary employee at Morrisville State, working as the assistant football coach for running backs. He was let go from his job after the college learned of his arrest, said Amy Roberts, director of public relations for the college.

In court on Friday, Zdanowicz admitted to sending the text messages to the girl. He is currently being held at Madison County Jail and will be sentenced July 26.